Dr. Jill Owens of Bradford Family Medicine will talk about Lyme disease at 1 p.m. June 22 at Bradford Area Public Library.
The program — don’t let that tick make you sick — is free and open to the public.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that Lyme disease is now the fastest growing vector-borne infectious disease in the United States. In 2017, there were 11,900 cases of Lyme disease in Pennsylvania. This statistic does not take into account all of the cases that are not being reported because it is misdiagnosed or people are unaware that they have it. Lyme disease is one of the most underreported diseases because less than half of patients who have it don’t even remember getting bitten by a tick or getting the rash associated with it.
Owens will discuss this disease. She has been a doctor for 20 years and in practice for nearly 17 years. Owens will talk about why the disease is often misdiagnosed, the signs, symptoms, treatment, and prevention. She will talk about the early signs of Lyme disease and its long-term effects. It’s important to learn about this common and yet often misdiagnosed disease.
